| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Whiteface, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Blueberry Ledges Trail, McCrillis Trail, Flat Mountain Pond Trail, McCrillis Path, Tilton Spring Path, Pasture Path |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Thursday, December 3, 2020 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Thanks to the people who made the Ferncroft expansion happen! We were the 2nd car on the new side at 11:15. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Ice - Black, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Wet/Slippery Rock, Ice - Breakable Crust, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Significant, Leaves - Significant/Slippery |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The crossing on Flat Mountain Pond Trail was high but we were able to easily rock hop 30 yards upstream as described by Steve Smith in the guidebook. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
A few easy duckunders on McCrillis Trail. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Left poor old Fin at home today. I would not take any dog, no matter how experienced, up Blueberry Ledge Trail in icy conditions, and we had quite a bit of it up high on the steep scrambles today. |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Beautiful warm, December day cleaning up redlines in the Sandwich Range. 3rd time up the top of Blueberry Ledge Trail, every time in icy conditions, and have thoroughly enjoyed each visit. Lots of running water down low. A bit of avoidable ice on the lower ledges. We did not need to put on (beater)spikes until the first serious scramble a bit above the Tom Wiggins intersection. They stayed on until 2600' on McCrillis Trail. I would not want to go up (and certainly not down) the upper section of BLT without some traction right now, as their was significant ice. One guy who passed us heading down said he had gone all the way up and down with one broken arm and never put his spikes on. After we passed him we tried to guess how he had broken his arm-my guess was a lack of good judgement. McCrillis Trail was much easier to descend than we had hoped. The tricky ledge described in the guidebook was mostly covered in soft ice and was easy to butt slide, with our spikes getting good grip to slow us down. Once down low the trail was very wet and sloppy. McCrillis Path was very easy to follow, although a few covid cockroaches early in the day told us it was really difficult to follow. I guess they were blind or lacked common sense! It was nice to meet Catherine near Mt. Katherine- although she questioned our attire and gear choice:) So what if some people like to dress identically? Parts of McCrillis Path, Tilton, and Pasture were really sloppy. We jogged a great deal of these trails and managed to get back to the car without headlamps. Another fantastic day redlining with less than 10 hikers encountered all day. |
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 | Name: |
Spence, Dan |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2020-12-03 |
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 | Link: |
 https:// |
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Disclaimer: Reports are not verified - conditions may vary. Use at own risk. Always be prepared when hiking. Observe all signs. Trail conditions reports are not substitutes for weather reports or common sense. |
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